Friendship
by Fishy Rainboots
Summary: We all know about Harry's first befuddling crush, the whole fiasco with Cho. Now we hear about Ron's.


Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger could be seen exiting the Divination classroom on a blustery Tuesday. They had finished a particularly tedious lesson on reading and interpreting the images reflected in the water. Ron just kept saying he saw the Grim in their crystal bowl as he "read" Harry's future. The worst part was? He was sure to get an O. Seven staircases later, they arrived at the Great Hall, panting slightly.

Wood wasn't going to be pleased his star seeker couldn't sprint down seven staircases at the drop of a hat. No matter how many times they tried to convince them you don't need to run 30 laps around the Quidditch pitch _every_ practice. Wouldn't every _other_ practice be okay?

It seemed that the seven staircases took longer to get down than they had first estimated, for when they arrived, all of the seats at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall were already occupied, except for three near Ron's brothers, Fred and George, the notorious troublemakers. The twins were sitting near Lee Jordan, Quidditch commentator; and Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor chasers.

Harry thought this to be a spot of luck. Three seats empty, together, next to people they knew?

The story gray sky, promising rain, reflected Hermione's mood in its eerie, inky depths. She was still ranting under her breath about Trelawney, while pacing back and forth. She seemed to be frightening a group of 1st year Ravenclaws, who shuffled past quickly, as though what she had was catching. Harry caught a snatch of her tirade, "The old bat! Divination's not a real subject! Who would hire her? And Professor McGonagall doesn't like her! You can tell! What is she going to have us do next? Read the skies to discover the future? How utterly ridiculous! They'd all be like the bloody centaurs! 'Mars is Bright Tonight' She's absolutely insane!" This was punctuated with a few choice expletives Harry wondered how _Hermione_, of all people, knew, and _who_ had she learned them from?! Could they possibly be introduced?

Ron grew paler, and paler. He was almost the same sickly shade of chalky, vampire-white as Snape. The thought was mortifying. _Snape? _This change in his skin tone caused his red hair and freckles to stand out like a pink floral dress in the men's department. He too started to mumble incoherently under his breath. He seemed to be arguing with himself. The image of Hermione's pacing, Ron's chalky pallor, and the combined hiss of their mutterings created a hilarious picture of a hallway in a mental asylum.

Harry started toward the seats, trying, and barely succeeding, to stifle his laughter. Laughter at this moment would cause Hermione to implode, and Ron to turn vampire. The images passing through his head like a slide show were only adding to the bubbling balloon of laughter that threatened to pop inside him.

Ron caught his arm. Harry caught sight of his face and wheeled them around. "What's wrong with you?"

Ron stuttered, snapping Hermione out of her rant, "N-n-n-nothing w-w-we just _can't_ sit there."

Harry looked questioningly at the seats in question. "Why ever not? There's nowhere else to sit!"

Hermione had now stopped frothing and was now studying the seats, her brow furrowed. Ron repeated, "We can't sit there!"

Harry asked, "Do you not want to sit by your brothers?" He couldn't figure out what could possibly prompt Ron to condemn the seats in question. They were identical to the rows of seats that lined the dark wooden tables on either side of all four house tables.

Ron didn't answer, only said, "Could we perchance go sit at another table? The Hufflepuffs are quite friendly."

A look of dawning comprehension blazed across Hermione's face. Her tone became motherly and understanding as her eyes were locked on the chasers. She spoke to Harry and Ron for the first time since Divination, "Sure, Ron, lets go sit with Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott."

Harry looked at her as though she had just told him she rather liked the colors green and silver. Especially when combined together with a serpentine "_S_" in the middle.

She whispered in his ear, " You idiot, don't you have eyes?"

Hermione wondered how boys passed their classes, when they were so painfully ignorant. " It's the girls!"

Harry struggled to understand. It resulted with a look in his eyes that held a striking resemblance to a lost little puppy dog. "He has a crush on one of the Chasers, and is too shy to admit it!"

Harry mouthed a silent, "Oh!" So, there _was_ no problem with the seats! Ha! He knew they were identical.

He caught Ron's forearm in a tight grip and pulled him over to the Hufflepuff table. Harry said, "Come on, mate, let's get some lunch. You're looking a bit peaky. Poor Ron had been staring transfixed at Alicia Spinnet.

George's long-time girlfriend.


End file.
